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Moon as threshold While resorting books in my library, I, unintentionally, fell into browsing some titles which were frontiers thirty to fifty years ago. For instance, I read with a lot of curiosity The moon as threshold by Isaac Asimov published in 1975 (The frontiers of knowledge, Third series: The modern explores, Doubleday, New York). Asimov has attempted the difficult task of projecting manned space exploration and colonization beyond our landing on the moon. In spite of the remarkable leap in manned flights in only sixty-nine years, from the first powered flight (Zeppelin’s dirigible, 1900) to the landing on Moon (Neil Armstrong, 1969), Asimov did not envi- sion any manned space flight beyond Moon in next forty years. Right. How about any time in the future? Asimov’s careful and detailed analysis of technical, economical, and physio- logical circumstances leads to the conclusion that Moon is not only the threshold of space but, as far as manned exploration is concerned, virtually all of it. A lunar colony could be hugely profitable to Earth and facilitate the further exploration of space. Putting aside of serious anticipations some futuristic concepts (tachionic ships, travel by time dilatation, frozen space travelers), Asimov suggest a starship, an enormously large space ship with sustainable environment for several hundred thousand or even million people to leave the lunar base forever and travel through space forever, stellar explorations, generation after genera- tion. Interestingly enough, while Asimov noticed that we may destroy our civilization by heedless overpopulation and criminal waste of resources, he shows more trust to lunar colonists. |
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